Pushing the Reset Button on Your House

It’s almost unbelievable how fast a house can go from clean to chaotic! When that happens, it’s easy to get discouraged, look at a mess and sigh as you think, “I’ll do that later.” By the time later comes, the mess is even bigger and feels even more unmanageable, so you put it off again. And thus the cycle continues.

But, no more! When the house starts getting a little (or a lot) out of control, it’s time to hit the “reset” button by implementing these tips!

1) Make time to clean.

Whether you clear something from your schedule, wake up an hour early, or sacrifice your evening relaxation time, you’ll need to figure out where you can carve out a little bit of time to actually clean.

2) Work in one room at a time.

Some people may prefer to gather all of the trash from around the house, then all the dishes, then all the toys, etc. I personally don’t love this method because it makes me feel like I’ve spent a ton of time working and none of the rooms are clean! Instead, I prefer to tidy one room at a time from start to finish. Seeing how amazing one room looks after it’s clean is great motivation to move on to the next room!

3) Save deep-cleaning for later.

While it’s a good idea to clean the toilet and to wipe down the kitchen counters, the rest of the scrubbing can wait until later. Don’t get distracted by sanitizing your microwave when you have a sink full of dirty dishes!

4) Know what room you most want to have clean.

Is there a room that you just love having clean? For me, when my kitchen is clean, I feel calm and more productive, even if the rest of the house still needs some TLC. So I usually clean that first. Then if I run out of time to finish other rooms, at least my kitchen is in order!

5) Minimize distractions and work quickly.

Keep the TV and computer off, put your phone on silent, and turn on some upbeat music. Then work as fast as you can, especially for the first 30 minutes so you can build good momentum!

6) Stay positive and just do what you can.

Maybe you don’t have time to clean your whole house (or even an entire room) in one session. That’s okay. Just do what you can and keep moving forward! After-all, every little bit helps!

What tips do you have for hitting the reset button in your own home?